Mary Coughlan on BBC HardTalk

In three parts, recorded about seven days ago. Strong interview by Stephen Sackur:

Note: At 4.40 of the above clip Mary Coughlan repeats the mistruth she has told the Dáil previously. She says performance-related bonuses of senior civil servants were judged by the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector to be “intrinsically” part of their salary.

This is not the truth. It is false. It’s a beyond misleading statement.

25 thoughts on “Mary Coughlan on BBC HardTalk”

Lies lies and more lies. When one can not defend the corrupt Government one must resort to lies and this is clearly what our Deputy Prme Minister has done. Lied. Shame on you Coughlin. Shame on Ireland for being a nation of liers.

There is a strong Marie Antoinette flavour to Coughlan’s comments – let them go elsewhere. It’s not surprising given the style in which our government live. Either Mary Coughlan or Willie O’Dea (or both?) are claiming the Dual Abode Allowance. This is the country’s most elite tax break, for Ministers and Ministers of State only, worth an average 5,500 a year.
Full details given on this blog in November.https://www.thestory.ie/2009/11/04/the-dual-abode-allowance/

Stephen Sackur does what the RTE interviewers cannot or will not do. He showed us just what is running Ireland. God help us because no-one else can. Look at what creates the policies your grandchildren will be paying for. She is an ex-social worker with huge ability to waffle and obfuscate, with a thick brass neck nohing else. She was forced to meet Michael O`leary today, and the way she handled that simple situation is indicative of just how incompetent she actually is.Take note RTE interviewers! This is precisly how a professional interview should do be conducted. Oh, and by the way biopharma and green sector? How will you compete with China and all the other developed countries whose technology is light years ahead of Irelands? Green sector! Like that is going to pay the hundred of billions we will be in the red for. Please, do me a favour, what a load of shit !!

As someone who comes from Ireland I feel so embarrassed to listen to this woman, good on you Michael O’leary, put her in her place when you meet her today, something that Enda Kenny and c.o. has yet managed to do.

This minister is not just an embarrassment. Her comments betray a disconnect which is typical of the members of the political families which make up the clique running Ireland. Way back in 1987 when that decade’s cohort of educated youth were leaving in droves, Brian Lenihan Snr made much the same observations as Coughlan is now making. Lenihan Snr didn’t see emigration as the national failure which it is, “after all”, he opined, “we can’t all live on a small island”. He had no concerns about young people having to emigrate, because his children didn’t need to. Two of them are ministers in the current Fianna Fail administration. Coughlan, similarly, is a child of a well-connected Fianna Fail family. These people are protected from the impacts of the policies they apply. They’ve been part of an elite which has always seen emigration as a crucial safety valve without which societal pressures could build to such an extent that radical challenges to the ruling elite might emerge. Let them leave, the politico-administrative status quo requires it

Thank you, Stephan Sachur (and Michael O’Leary) for exposing Mary Coughlan’s incompetance and arrogance.Could anybody give me one reason why she is still in her job?
Willy O’Dea is also an arrogant little shit and I cannot believe that he will go to bed tonight still a government minister.
In a mature democracy Mr O’Dea,Ms Coughlan and Noel (never did anything intelligent )Dempsey would have been fired long ago.
I always have a hard time rationalising to myself the fact that Fianna Fail, who were responsible mainly for crises that occurred in this state with regularity every 20 years, still exist. I can only assume that we are an immature electorate..

Stephen Sackur has more empathy with the plight of the Irish people than our own government. She is deluded plain and simple. If she came to me looking for a way forward I would recommend a good reality therapist. Alice in Wonderland makes more sense than her comments on the Irish economy.

RTE need to see the way this interview was conducted without fear or favour the “hard questions” were asked and the bluff answers were not accepted. Than you Mr. Sackur for showing up RTE and for also showing the world the woeful state of Irish politics whereby a woman like this can become the deputy prime minister. Of course, last night she went on to screw up the empty Hanger negotiations and failed to secure 500 jobs for highly trained technicians who now face the dole. Michael O’Leary is one of the people in Ireland FF hate the most because he tells it like it is and now you have seen with your own eyes that he is not bluffing when he talks incessantly about incompetence, incompetence.

still looking after the fat cats their friends its people like me on jobseekers who hurt not them, also let a minister try to live on what my family has too they are not in real world. everything just makes me so mad i feel she dose not relise ordnery people are not stupid, we know what is happening revelution is whay we need

What is she on about? As Michael O’Leary said, she’s all waffle. It sounds like English, but I can’t understand it. How can she continue to hold one of the highest offices in the land? How can the Irish people allow this? At the end of the day in a democracy, you get the government you deserve.

I though that the gov had finally reached the lowest point on the reality/intelligence/competence radar, but no, send our esteemed tanaiste to talk on BBC. Result – the new low is now in the minsus, no wonder folk r emigrating. By the way thanks 2 all the FF voters for landing us in this mess.

This interview should be viewed by RTE, TV3 and the rest of the boot-licking Irish media. The woman does not comprehend that our economy and society is on the verge of meltdown. Like the rest of our political establishment she lives in a bubble.

Jaw droppig ignorance of the State we are in. It’s not unbelievable it’s very real that this is what stands for leadership and competence in Irish politics today. Sackur conducted an impressive interview ( RTÉ watch and learn!!!)articulating the feelings and disbelief of the Irish public – and if they saw this ‘show’ it would be be more so. What will it take?

Unbelievable? No. It’s Coughlan being herself. Symptomatic of the rest of the political class. Probably the rest of the insiders too – RTE, high civil servants etc. Load of wankers, they have fucked the country.

@Tim O’ Leary: Stephan Sachur exposed nothing; Mary Coughlan’s utter incompetence was well known. It was the assumed explanation for her absence from the Lisbon II campaign – in case she’d say or do something stupid and blow it. He did, however, throw it into sharp relief. Her only saving grace – and the one that has made her the 2nd most powerful person in the country (a terrifying thought) is loyalty to the party, and Biffo in particular. Biffo values loyalty above all else; he’s pinned his colours to too many dodgy masts before.

And if our choice is between Mary Coughlan and Michael O’ Leary, is it no wonder people are emigrating?

I particularly like the part (Part 3, 4.10min in) where Stephan Sachur asks Mary Coughlan about her “Lack of Repentance”. Maybe our politicians need to go to confession more, with the public as their Confessor. Have a look at the expression on Mary’s face when he brings this topic up: it’s priceless.

Mary Coughlan, she is a cardboard cut-out ( like the branch bank manager of the last 20 years) ZERO is here GRADE for her to believe that the young people of Ireland are leaving Ireland to enjoy a holiday in the outback of Australia picking onions and living in shacks for a few dollars and “thats what young people are entitled to do!!!” In this house after a €145000 of taxed income spent over 9 years on 3 first class Masters and Degrees to live in the outback Mary go back to Donegal and see will you get a job with your Degree.
Like Bertie in March 2008 the last bullshit to the public advising young people to buy houses now because they will increase by 10-15% next YEAR 2009 what PLANET was he on,(see records )
Or like McCreevy in the 1999 Budget when house sales leveled off due to natural demand he Launched Tax Breaks for second houses when there was no demand oh i forgot the BUILDERS!!!

Calamity Coughlan has earned her title well. “A lighhouse in a bog” she is, and as one Fianna Fail politian called her “picture but no sound”, for Gods sake how is she still in a job, she never had to go out and work a day in her life.
She gave the 1million euro pension to Rodney Molloy as what can only be described as silence money, and then weeks later when Molloy was asked why he was not returning the Governments Audi car, Calamity Coughlan said he deserved it.

Scandal and lies always follow Calamity Coughlan around and she should be sacked years ago